Fastening means for abutting flaps of flexible carriers or cartons



c. D. KEITH 2,069,742

FASTENING MEANS FOR ABUTTING FLAPS OF FLEXIBLE CARRIERS 0R CARTONS Feb.9, 1937.

.Filed July 23, 1935 4 INVENTOR. /mm #612? .8) 9f 9 ATTORNEY.

MZILL 4 O i I Patented Feb. 9, 1937 i UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICEFASTENING MEANS FOR ABUTTING FLAPS OF FLEXIBLE CARRIERS B CABTONS ClaudeD. Keith, New York, N. Y., assignor oi cone-hall.v to Charles 'E.Culpeper, Nor-walk,

onn.

\ Application July 23, 1935, Serial No. 32,745

3 Claims. (Cl. 224-45) This invention relates to improvements in iastheleading ends of the tongues each have a tening means for abutting flapsoi flexible cargradual curve extending from the base to a tip riers orcartons preferably composed of cardboard, above the longitudinal centerline of the tongue paper or like material. and a sharp curve above saidcenterline, while One of the objects of this invention is to protheopposite ends of said tongues are curved in vide integral fasteningmeans for the abutting the opposite direction. flaps of flexiblecontainers, cartons or carriers With these and other objects in view,the invenwhich will take advantage of the flexibility of the tioncomprises the combination of members and carton to permit relativesliding movement or the arrangement of parts so combined as to co-act oflaps for engagement and disengagement oi the and co-operate with eachother in the performfastening members. ance of the functions and theaccomplishment Another object of my invention is to provide of theresults herein contemplated, and comprises fastening tongues formedintegrally or unitarily in one of its adaptations the species orpreferred with the flaps which will produce relatively informillustrated in the accompanying drawing,.in

expensive fastening means that will fasten and which:- 15 retain theflaps in securely fastened position. Fig- 1 i V W in side v i n owin itAnother object of my invention is to provide bottle-carrier or cartonembodyi g my ihventiim fastening tongues which in their fastening andjust before n a t of h fast i t n ues;

unfastening movements may be readily and Fig. 2 is a side elevation ofthe carton shown quickly manipulated and will not bind, stick or in Fig.1 after en a em nt and f ld n f the become jammed in such operations.tongues;

Another object of my invention is to provide 3 is an d elevation of thefastened fastening tongues from material which would be ton shown inFigs- 1 nd cut out to form hand holes or carrying handle for 4 is asection h line E- 5 the carrier, carton, or the like. ing in thedirection of the arrows; 2 Still another object of my invention is topro- Fig. 5 is a section on the line 55 of Fig. 2, vide a device of thetype specified having iaso g in the direction of the arrows; teningtongues which will each have only one fold F g- 6 is a section On theline of 2 0 and which in folded position may be utilized to 8 in thedirection of the arrows; space bottles carried by the carrier or carton.F g. s a View in P Of a strip of P p cut to 30 In general terms, myinvention comprises the produce the-carton and fastening device shown inprovision in a flexible body having abutting flaps, Fi s- 1 0 6, and ofa pair of tongues cut out from the material oi 8 is a view in sideelevation of a p of fl p the flaps and so severed as to provide bendableshowing a s t y modified form Shape tongues having base portionsconnected with their tongues 35 respective flaps and offsetlaterally'with respect Referring HOW to the drawing which u to eachother, and kerfed portions between said fi y fastening means ap o abottle flaps and tongues in alignment with said base Carrie! Carton,which; except for the P s on connecting portions and also offsetlaterally with of a flexible y Strip, forms no p 0! my to respect toeach other, said tongues being initially invention, l indicates a bodyor strip 01' re a i y 40 bendable about, said base connecting portions,rigid d Creasable material suitable erection which form axes coincidingith th b tt of into a bottle carrier or carton for double rows of thetongues, to enable interengagement upon bottles and P a y is p ed ordboard relative sliding of the flaps, and thereafter being 1 re nforcedpaper. Th Strip is provided t again bendable or foldable about saidconnecting s middle Po n and On its inner Surface w 5 portions to causeprojection at right angles parallel creases 2-2' adapted,when thematerial through the openings in the opposite flaps and, is bent at rigt angles 81 8 the same, to p v after such projection to abut at itsouter edge a bottom 3 for the carbon, and in the embodiment against thebottles or goods carried by the carrier shown, to provide the requiredflexibility to enor carton. able a relative sliding movement of theflaps and 50 More particularly, I provide said bendable fastening meansat the opposite ends of the strip. tongues with ends tapered into tipsof small Said strip I is provided with side-wall sections radius andspaced from the adjacent edge of the 5'-5 having hinge or foldableconnections with handle opening to enable rady engaging and said bottomand bendable at right angles to the so dis n a slidin v ts a d p a ybottom section. Said strip having a bottom and side walls thus forms,what I shall term, the body of the carton.

The said strip I is, in the form illustrated, provided at opposite sidesof the bottom creases 2-2 and also on the inner surface, with parallelcreases 4-4. These creases are positioned to limit the length of thewall sections 5-! to a height less than the length of the bottle to becarried and preferably to a height extending to a point below the neckof the bottle, and also to provide a hinged or foldable connectionbetween the walls or body of the carton and neckengaging members orsections 'l-l', bendable again in the same direction and in the formillustrated being bent in an inclined plane relatively to the wallsections. The widths of the members or sections 1-1 will be determinedby parallel creases H depressed in the opposite or external surface. Theneck-engaging members 1-1 each have elliptical longitudinal-extendingbottle-insertion apertures 8 through which the top of the bottle isadapted to be projected and the upper and lower edges 8'0 of which areadapted to abut against opposite sides of the bottle.

Connected or applied to the top of each of the neck-engaging sectionsll' are handle sections or flaps 99' which are adapted to extendverticaliy and to abut against each other between the two rows ofbottles and in accordance with my invention, these abutting flaps orhandle sections are provided with hand holes registering with each otherto permit ready ri ping and carrying of the carrier, and the flaps aresecurely fastened together and are preferably movable in oppositedirections about the parallel creases t, I for the purpose hereinafterspecified.

As illustrated, instead of cutting away the flexible material of thecarrier to form hand holes or apertures 9-, I", which as illustrated areelliptical in conformation, I sever the material of the flaps or handlesections to provide a pair of complementary fastening tongues ilk-Hpreferably of identical configuration, though in reversed relationshipto each other. Said tongues have base portions liI'-l I' connected bybendable or creased connecting portions III, II" with their respectiveflaps 9, 9' and oifset laterally with respect to each other, and alsohave rigid, nonfoldable side-extension portions i0'-l l' separated bykerfs HF, H, extending between said flaps 9, 9' and tongues I 0- and inalignment with said base connecting portions, said side extensionportions and kerfs being also oii'set laterally with respect to eachother. The tongues l0 and Ii are spaced as at 9*, 9 9', and 9' from theadjacent edges of the holes 9', 9'.

In manipulating the fastening elements, said tongues are initially bentabout said base connecting portions to cause projection thereof towardeach other. This may be accomplished by bending the flaps 9, 9'outwardly and simultaneously bending the tongues iii-ii inwardly towardeach other. Said tongues may then be slid intoengagement and be causedto project through opposite openings or hand holes by a relative slidingmovement of the flaps. After such projection and interengagement, thetongues will abut at their outer edges against the bottles or goodscarried by the carrier or carton. To release the tongues fromengagement, the flaps may be bent outwardly from their abuttingrelationship like opening a book and thereupon, upon a sliding movementin the opposite direction, the tongues may be disengaged.

Having described my invention, I claim:-

1. A flexible carrieror carton embodying. oombinationafiexiblebodyiiavingapatrofabuttingnapspmvidedwithahandieoponing andapairofopposingtonguosformedunitarilywith the flaps, mountedinnidopenings and mutually slifldible laterally into engagement onebehind the o r, a base portion c nnected to the flap andodsetlatorallyi'romthobaleportionoitheopposing tongue and provided witha rigid sideextension portion extending laterally from saidbaseportionandsepara odbyakerfextending between said extension portionand the ilap, laid tongue members being foldable about an axis extendingalong said base portion to pass through the opening in the M flap'andto, at right angles thereto, said I leadingends,eachprovidedwithatapered above the longitudinal center line of andfollowing ends each having a tapered tip below said longitudinal centere o! the F 2. A flexible carrier or carton combination a flexible havinga pair abutting naps provided with a handle opening and a pair oiopposing tongues f g with the flaps, mounted in said openings mutuallysiidsble laterally into engagement. behind the other, a her having abasepm'tionconnectod to and being offset laterally from the bale of theopposing tongue and provided with a side-extension portion extendinglaterally said base portion and separated by a hr! ing between saidextension portion and said tongue members being foldable extending alongsaid base portion to pass the opening in the opposite flap and at rightangles thereto, said tongues ing leading ends, each provided with tipabove the lon itudinal center line tongue, and following ends eachhaving a tip below said longitudinal center line of tongueand saidtapered'tips being formed curved edges.

3. A flexible bottle carrier or carton comprising, in combination, astrip of flexible material having parallel creases at its middle part toprovide between such crosses a carton bottom and body parts at oppositesides of said creases, said bod partshavingadditionalparalielcreuestoprovide side-wail portions, a pair of inclined members extending towardeach other and abutting each other at theirtopedgcs and apair ofabutting flaps connected to said inclined members and bendable outwardlyat their bases, said flaps being P v ded with corresponding opoiv ings,a pair of opposing tongue membersformedunitarilywithsaidbodypartsandextendinginto said openings. each tonguemember comprlsingaconnectingportionconneotedtoabodypartandbeingoflsetlatorallyfiomtheoonnooting portion of he oppoling mmember and arigidside-extensionportionleparatedbyaberf extending betweensaid side-extension portion and body part and disposed laterally fromsaid connecting portion, said tongue members being vthe tongue membersbeing slidablelaterally into interengagement behind each other duringsaid lateral movement and said tongue members ex tending through thecorresponding openings in opposite flaps.

CLAUDE D. KEITH.

